Neurological Effects of Fos B Gene on Behavior of Mice Essay -- Biolog

The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the fos B broker and its neurological effects on the behavior of mice through the analysis of A abandon in Nurturing in Mice scatty the spry Early Gene fos B appearing in the July 26 issue of Cell. Through various chemical and behavioral tests it is found that fos B mothers demonstrate an inability to nurture their young. It was shown that the overleap of formulation of the fos B divisor in certain atomic number 18as of the brain was the presumptive cause of the lack of the nurturing response in the mutant mice.BackgroundImmediate Early Genes (IEGs)When the central nervous system of an organism receives a stimulus, such as light, visual images, odors, etc., programs of gene expression are initiated. This expression of genes burn start within minutes of receipt of the stimulus, and last for many hours in certain parts of the brain. The very first genes to be expressed are called the Immediate Early Genes. These genes can be transcribed almost straight off without the formation of new proteins.fos B A Member of the fos FamilyThe fos B gene belongs to a group of genes known as the fos family. The fos family has four members c-fos, fos B, fra-1, and fra-2. The members of the fos family work in conjunction with a group called the Jun family. The protein that is produced as a result of fos gene expression can be dimerized with Jun prodeits utilizing a leucine zipper domain. This unit and so binds to a certain region of DNA.The fos family of genes are expressed during a mixing of adaptive neural responses. It has been found that fos related proteins are activated in areas of the nervous system that are needed for nurturing behavior. Creating a fos B deficient PopulationIn or... ...e results of these tests point to a defect in a region of the brain that is specific for nuturing. So, areas of the brain were fos B was expressed were analyzed. It was seen that the fos B gene was expressed in the preo ptic area of the hypothalamus and in the main and attendant olfactory bulbs, as well as the pyriform cortex. All of these areas have been shown, in previous studies, to be related to the nuturing response. As a result, the lack of expression of the fos B gene is directly related to the lack of nuturing behavior in mutants, probably due to a lack of gene expression in one, or more of these areas. Bibliography1. Brown, J.R., Ye, H., Bronson, R. T., Dikkes, P., Greenberg, M. E. A Defect in Nurturing in Mice Lacking the Immediate Early Gene fosB. Cell 86 (1996) 297 - 309.2. Cohen, John. Does Nature oblige Nurture? Science 273 (1996) 577